An unmanned Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from California on 29th of September to test upgrades needed for planned commercial launch services.

The 22-story rocket, built and flown by Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, soared off a newly refurbished, leased launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Station at noon EDT/1600 GMT.

The Falcon 9 1.1 blazed through clear blue skies out over the Pacific Ocean, aiming toward an orbit that flies over Earth’s poles. Perched on top of the rocket was a small science and communications satellite called Cassiope, built by MDA Corp of Canada.

The upgraded Falcon 9 v1.1 has engines that are 60 percent more powerful than previous versions, longer fuel tanks, new avionics, new software and other features intended to boost lift capacity and simplify operations for commercial service.

The upgraded Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base on a successful demonstration mission to deliver the CASSIOPE satellite to orbit. Launch took place on Sept. 29, 2013. Credit: SpaceX